The present invention relates to the testing of printed circuit boards. The invention has particular utility in connection with determined test fixtures of the type having test probes on a grid pattern, in which a translator pin fixture is used for translating electrical current from an off-grid pattern on a board under test to the channels of a tester in which the channel contacts are arranged in a grid pattern. An especially particular utility for the present invention is found in the area of facilitating electrical testing of electrical connectors mounted on a circuit board (commonly referred to as "backplane" or "mid-plane"). These connectors typically are surrounded by a sidewall extending beyond the ends of the electrical contact posts. The invention includes a large area probe plate having a plurality of spring probes fastened to the top plate of the translator fixture to provide compliant parallel translation of test signals between the connectors on the backplane and the translator pins of the translator fixture.